Safety razor sharpener



May 10, 1938. E, MUELBERGER,' JR 2,116,582

SAFETY RAZOR SHARPENER Filed June 28, 1957 INVENTOR Eric Mus/b ergerATTORN EY Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PAT OFFICE EricMuelberger, Jr.

Application June 28,

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to an accessory for use in connectionwith mens shaving articles, and in particular the invention is directedto a sharpener for safety razor blades. Safety razor 5 blades, like theso called straightedge razor,

present a more effective cutting edge when 1101- low ground. The deviceswhich now are available for use by a person to rehone or resharpen asafety razor blade utilize rotating or oscillating l abrasive surfacesto accomplish the hollow grinding of the blade. Such devices are notonly quite expensive to purchase but, being mechanical in operation, aresubject to wear and the abrasive elements often become improperly alinedwith resultant imperfect blade sharpening.

It is therefore my principle object to provide a non-mechanical safetyrazor blade sharpener which will not only resharpen the actual cuttingedges of a blade but will simultaneously effect a hollow grinding ofthat portion of the blade immediately adjacent the cutting edges, theabrasive of the sharpener elements being arranged in permanentalinement.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved safety razor blade sharpenerand illustrates a blade in position thereon.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, the razor blade sharpener comprises a base I of any suitableconfiguration, the base being rectangular in the present embodiment. Apair of transversely spaced, parallel abrasive elements 2 are fixedlydisposed on the base and in upstanding relation thereto. If desired boththe base and elements may be made of the same material, such ascarborundum, and cast or molded to shape and as an integral unit. 1

The upper and inner quarter of each abrasive element is formed with acurved convex surface and for the full length of the element, as at 3,for the purpose hereinafter described. The elements are spaced aparttransversely such a distance that when a safety razor blade 4 isdisposed lengthwise on said elements in the manner shown, the edges ofthe blade will rest upon such curved convex portion of the elements. Inother words, the distance from center to center of the curved surfacesis the same as the Width of the blades San Francisco, Calif.

1937, Serial No. 150,743

between their cutting edges. An upstanding guide finger 5 is fixed inthe base I centrally between the elements 2 and at a point centrallybetween the ends thereof, such guide finger being of sufficient heightto extend into the usual blade slot S of a blade supported lengthwise onthe elements, and of sufiicient length to prevent swivel movement of theblade. The elements are of substantially twice the length of a standardsafety razor blade.

In use a blade is disposed on the sharpener and in engagement with theabrasive elements 2 in the manner described, the blade edges resting onthe convex surfaces 3. With the sharpener held in one hand, a persongrasps the blade at its ends and between two fingers and reciprocatesthe blade back and forth from the position shown in full lines to thatshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing. As the blade edgereciprocates the abrasive convex surface not only sharpens the actualcutting edge but hollow grinds the blade as well. The sharpeningoperation is of course repeated for the other side of the blade edgesand upon inversion of the blade.

If blade sharpening surfaces of different grades-such as fine andcoarse-are desired, the device may be constructed with a plurality ofpairs of abrasive elements as is shown for example in my copendingapplication for United States Design Patent, No. 105,712, issued August17, 1937.

For single edge safety razor blades, the device may be constructed withonly one element 2 of abrasive material, the other element beingnonabrasive and serving only as a support for the back of the blade.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A sharpener for safety razor blades comprising a base, a pair ofparallel upstanding abrasive elements mounted on the base in spacedrelation, and an upstanding guide finger relatively long and narrow insection fixed on the base centrally between the elements and centrallyof the length of said elements, the guide finger being adapted to.project into the slot or" a blade disposed on the elements, the elementsbeing substantially twice the length of the cutting edges of the blade.

ERIC MUELBERGER, JR.

